I'd like them to be gripping and entertaining as well. As in, I could read them before going to bed without falling asleep out of boredom.
Focus on successful entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists.
posted by spacefire
on Apr 19, 2013 -
6 answers
I don't know how else to phrase this maladroit and overlong "question," but… who
are the foreign undergraduate and graduate students?
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posted by Nomyte
on Apr 6, 2013 -
13 answers
I believe I may suffer from a derth of artistic and intellectual heroes. Help me fix that. What artists and thinkers are worth engaging with fully as an adult?
By "engaging with fully," I mean making a concerted effort to consume all of their output, several times, as well as seeking out supplementary information about them by way of interviews, criticism, documentaries, collected letters, biographies, etc. etc.
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posted by jsturgill
on Mar 15, 2013 -
50 answers
After viewing the excellent "A Man for All Seasons"
IMDb and the BBC's Kierkegaard - Sea of Faith
YouTube I'm in want of viewing other portraryls of noted authors & philosphers. What are your recommendations?
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posted by MeatyBean
on Oct 11, 2012 -
8 answers
Help me find a way to get others to tell stories about my long-deceased father online. I'm thinking a Wikipedia-type, open-source place where folks can go and log in (or not) and add their portions of the story of his life. I imagine childhood friends sharing vignettes from 5th grade, high school girlfriends, co-workers, people I don't have access to adding stories.
posted by kristymcj
on Aug 15, 2012 -
2 answers
Which biography of Nikola Tesla should I read?
posted by bytewrite
on Jul 21, 2012 -
5 answers
I'm looking for examples (biographies, documentaries, blogs...any format, really) about people who made the decision to completely change the direction of their lives, particularly folks who went from a typical "day job/corporate career" into something less mainstream.
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posted by xingcat
on Feb 21, 2012 -
13 answers
How did reading a biography learn you a valuable lesson, help you gain a crucial insight, change your worldview or impact you in some other, non-trivial way?
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posted by Foci for Analysis
on Feb 14, 2012 -
13 answers
Loved Bossypants by Tina Fey! Looking for more comedic autobiographies (bonus points if the audio version is read by the author).
posted by carnivoregiraffe
on Feb 13, 2012 -
27 answers
I'm looking for inspirational stories of people with a vision they're passionate about, and the work ethic to accomplish what they set out to. Tales that make you come away thinking "Yes, that is how I want to be living my life" and charge you up for the work you're doing. They don't have to be people you'd generally admire or seek to emulate - whatever their goals, it's that spark/drive/dedication/grit I'm most interested in.
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posted by ChristopherS
on Nov 5, 2011 -
10 answers
Internet estate curation, or: How to get a better biography of an author "out there"?
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posted by progosk
on Aug 30, 2011 -
4 answers
What are the best biographies/autobiographies/memoirs/novels for inspiration and psyching up?
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posted by 3491again
on Jul 18, 2011 -
8 answers
I have been enjoying reading memoirs lately and would like some suggestions for more books I might enjoy.
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posted by JoannaC
on Jun 28, 2011 -
50 answers
I'm looking for a book that will give me a full and complete sense (down to the nitty-gritty) of what it's like to be paralyzed from the waist down and to live life in a wheelchair. I've looked at some very clinical manuals that do explain things, but the wording is very dry. I'm looking for an account that is more personal. I'm hoping some of you could suggest some good ones you have read.
posted by Sully
on May 25, 2011 -
15 answers
I've recently fallen completely in love with
Homesickness by Magritte and find myself quite enamored by his other works as well. Summer is coming, and although I have no background in Art History, I
really want to know more about Rene. What is the best book I can read about his life and art?
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posted by Chipmazing
on May 11, 2011 -
5 answers
Help me find this book that is about a drug addict who steals bikes in Amsterdam to feed his drug habit. It is a diary-style of book.
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posted by darkgroove
on Feb 22, 2011 -
5 answers
I just finished reading
The Starship and the Canoe, and I'm craving more long-form nonfiction pieces like it. Any suggestions?
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posted by Taft
on Jan 16, 2011 -
7 answers
I would like to read a biography of Emily Dickinson. Do you know of a well written, not too highly academic one?
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posted by kanata
on Dec 14, 2010 -
9 answers
Looking for books written by someone who lived a normal stable life and due to a tragic unexpected event beyond their control, their life was turned upside down.
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posted by vizsla
on Oct 11, 2010 -
22 answers
What are some common clichés, patterns, or unwritten rules that you find in profiles/bios for DJs? I'm putting together a bit of writing on how DJs are marketed through the strategic presentation of their biographical information. Some examples inside.
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posted by LMGM
on Aug 16, 2010 -
8 answers
Can anyone recommend a good Duke Ellington biography and/or the standard biography? I'm particularly interested in one that takes his later work seriously.
posted by OmieWise
on May 12, 2010 -
6 answers
How does one successfully publish biography? I'm fascinated by the life of a certain (long-since-dead) American political figure and it appears that he has not yet been given a full treatment by historians. I'm not an academic or a journalist - just a lawyer under the delusion that he can do a good job at something like this.
posted by Saucy Intruder
on Dec 28, 2009 -
6 answers
I'd like to buy a book or books for someone who really liked 1776, by David McCullough, but who now wants to know more about the Revolutionary War.
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posted by kingjoeshmoe
on Dec 17, 2009 -
10 answers
Where can I find personal stories of popular scholars on their life as students, phd candidates and/or professors?
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posted by jfricke
on Nov 12, 2009 -
12 answers
I like biographies of ordinary/non-famous people with interesting stories to tell, or stories from before they became notable. Can anyone recommend any?
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posted by mippy
on Oct 5, 2009 -
40 answers
I've fallen in love with a certain older British character actor and want to write his biography...where do I begin?
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posted by frosty_hut
on Sep 4, 2009 -
5 answers
